


Based on a True Story, or, Any Resemblance to Reality is Coincidental

by FandomImagination



Category: Stranger than Fanfiction
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-09-30 03:43:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10152869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomImagination/pseuds/FandomImagination
Summary: This fic is a response to / sequel for Chris Colfer’s novel, Stranger than Fanfiction. I devoured the book in a single day and absolutely loved it. But when I got to the end, I felt like it wasn’t finished. This fic is my attempt to look beyond the fans' happily ever afters of the STFF fairy tale. (Spoilers for the whole book! Don't read this fic unless you've finished it.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my beta readers: spaceorphan18, redheadgleek, and triflesandparsnips. Thanks also to Racheline for insisting this was a good idea while I was busy thinking of all the ways it could go terribly, terribly wrong. I hope Racheline was right (she usually is). Props also to Rainjoy, the queen of writing the voice of fandom, who I can only imitate and admire from afar. I slipped in one of her characters as a tribute.
> 
> At the risk of being over the top, I'd like to dedicate this fic to Chris Colfer. Chris, thank you for waking me up and reminding me that I’m a writer. Thank you for helping to teach me how to parent the little curvy tree who came into my life four years ago. Thank you for setting an example for me and for all of us with your creativity, productivity, and inspirational words. I hope you don’t mind me playing with your characters for a little while.
> 
> Last but not least, a shoutout to the entire Glee fandom. I love you for being more than the sum of your parts. Just like Chris’s book, this story is totally not about you. 
> 
> This fic is a work-in-progress and will be updated as often as I can manage.

**Wiz Kids Canceled After 9 Seasons**

by Terrence Wallem, The Hollywood Reporter

In a surprise announcement, we have learned that the popular TV show Wiz Kids will not be returning for a tenth season this fall. Despite steady ratings and an intensely engaged fan base, the network has pulled the plug on the long-running show.

Just one short week ago, the cast and creative team was promoting the show at WizCon, promising that Wiz Kids will “be on the air as long as you keep watching,” in the words of Tobey Ramous (Professor Luckuncle). That sentiment was echoed by the other cast members as the network team looked on approvingly.

The execs are tight-lipped on the reasons for their sudden change of heart. “Due to a confluence of factors, we have made the difficult decision to cease production of Wiz Kids,” the official press release states. Showrunner Damien Zimmer could not be reached for comment.

We’ll keep you updated as more details become available.

\---------------------------------

wizzer4life: WHAT

unluckcle: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

fuzzyluckins: tell me this isn’t real

rubytwoshoes: I cannot even. I cannot.

grandmafuzzle: Oh …. oh no … oh bbs …

takeawizz: Good riddance, Wiz Kids sucks.

unluckle: Nobody asked you @takeawizz. Go to hell.

takeawizz: Just saying what everyone but you nerds are thinking.

unluckle: That’s neither grammatically nor factually correct.

takeawizz: nerd.

reptoidianlove: But … but … it ended on a cliffhanger! They can’t just leave it there!

plainjanebrain: *sigh* I’m devastated, but I can’t say I’m really surprised.

cuttingroomwall: ^^^ this

plainjanebrain: Anons, I will get to you later. I need some time to process.

grandmafuzzle: My inbox is lighting up. I can’t answer them all individually, but I promise you, all you Wizzers out there, we will get through this. We’ll always have each other. Fandom is forever.

draxie: _More than Friends, Peachfuzzle, PG – High school AU, quick friends-to-lovers ficlet, 2,150 words, fluff fluff fluff_

draxie: Whoa, wait, what did I miss?

grandmafuzzle: Never change, sweet Draxie.

\------------------------------

**Did Bad Boy Cash Carter Kill Wiz Kids?**

by Jennifer Smalls, Entertainment Weekly

The shocking news on everyone’s lips today is the abrupt cancellation of Wiz Kids. The network isn’t dishing about their reasons, but we can’t help thinking it may have something to do with the increasingly out-of-control behavior of Cash Carter, who plays the lead role of Dr. Webster Bumfuzzle on the show.

Carter has been spotted partying hard all over Los Angeles in recent months. Earlier this week, he was caught on video as he collapsed on the floor in a seedy club in St. Louis, though nobody even knows what he was doing at an obscure punk rock concert in that city. Looks like Carter is past due for an intervention! With behavior like this, the network can’t “Cash” in on him as the lead of a teen-focused show anymore.

We here at Entertainment Weekly hope that Carter gets the help he needs before it’s too late. And we hope his castmates can forgive him for costing them their jobs. Ouch!

\--------------------------

takeawizz: haha LOSER

rubytwoshoes: No, but they said he was dehydrated. That can happen to anyone! It’s not his fault.

cuttingroomwall: My sweet summer child.

grandmafuzzle: This article is so sleazy and unfair. They have no evidence that Cash was the reason the show was canceled. They’re just smearing him because it makes a good story.

takeawizz: *singing* Scha-den-freud-e

fuzzyluckins: Look, I don’t want to stir up any weirdness or anything, but I’m pretty sure one of the guys in the St. Louis video was @topherever. I’ve followed him a long time and he posts selfies, so I know what he looks like, but I’ve never really talked to him. Is anyone here friends with him? He hasn’t been online in like a week, I’m kind of worried. Can someone reach out to him without it being awkward?

hudayouthinkyouare: I know @topherever. He’s on a road trip, a graduation thing with friends from his school. He’s in Arizona right now and he’s doing fine. I mean, I told him about the show ending and he was as devastated as the rest of us, but other than that he’s fine.

fuzzyluckins: Did he say whether that was him with Cash in St. Louis? Did his road trip go through St. Louis?

fuzzyluckins: Huda?

fuzzyluckins: Huda?

@takeawizz, @rubytwoshoes, @grandmafuzzle, @cuttingroomwall, and 634 others followed @topherever

plainjanebrain: Please don’t click on shitty articles like this and give them advertising dollars from it.

@plainjanebrain, @unluckle, @reptoidianlove, and 109 others followed @topherever

\----------------------------

Reptoidianlove created a petition on WeDemand.org

**BRING BACK WIZ KIDS**

We, the fans of Wiz Kids, urge Damien Zimmer to bring back Wiz Kids or sell the show to another network that will continue it. If it’s impossible to bring it back for the long term, we urge you to please at least do one final episode to resolve the cliffhanger at the end of Season 9.

47,322 people have signed this petition.

cashcartersabs: That’s not even how the TV industry works, dumbass.

\-----------------------

rubytwoshoes: I know how silly this sounds, but I just feel like this is the end of the world. I’ve been watching Wiz Kids practically my entire life. I literally can’t remember a time without it. I was too young for it when it started, but my big brother watched it and I was always there, and I just loved it even though I was practically a baby. I don’t know what to do without this show. Where do I turn? What happens next?

cloudsofgold: Full rewatch?

draxie: Fic marathon?

takeawizz: [This comment cannot be posted because the user blocked you.]

gaytobeyramous: (adorablekittens.gif)

rubytwoshoes: @gaytobeyramous, I love you!

\-----------------------

unluckle: No matter how crazy things got at home, Wiz Kids has been the one thing I could always count on. No matter how bad things were, I could look forward to the next episode. Now what am I supposed to do when life is too hard to bear?

Anon sent: Kill yourself

unluckle answered (public): I’m turning off anon for a few days.

plainjanebrain: Fandom, this is unacceptable behavior. Treat each other with respect. Grieving the end of your show is a real thing. If you don’t like people’s posts, walk away. Ffs, do not send anon hate.

plainjanebrain sent: You’ll be okay, unluckle, I promise. Wiz Kids was your escape, and either it still will be or you’ll find a new one somewhere else on your TV. Talk to me if you need to, k?

Unluckle answered (private): It really means a lot that you reached out. Thank you.

\----------------------

grandmafuzzle: This is a tough time for all of us, Wizzers. Our fandom is about to go through some major changes. The canon is now closed, so there won’t be any more speculation and rumor about what’s coming up. The actors and writers will move on to other projects. The sets on that soundstage in Hollywood will be torn down to make room for the next show.

But you know what? Our fandom will survive. I know this because I have been in many fandoms in my long, long years, and all those fandoms still go on, to this very day. The Star Trek fandom has survived for fifty years. The Buffy fandom continues to be everywhere and to influence so much. There are a bunch of Gleeks out there still doing their thing, even after all the horrible things that fandom went through in its last few years. We Wizzers will survive as well. The fandom is born from the show, but it doesn’t end with the show. We still have each other.

Yes, it will be different. Yes, many of us will find other shows to be front and center in our minds. But these bonds that we’ve formed with each other will last a lifetime. These creative works we’ve made from the raw materials of the show will continue to be there, and more of them will continue to be made. This is not the end of all things. I’m still here, I’ll continue to blog about Wiz Kids far into the foreseeable future, and I’m sure that most of you will stay along with me for the ride.

It’s okay to be sad. But remember, even while we’re mourning the show we love, that not much has really changed. Nobody has died. Nothing is lost. The show is forever on Netflix and DVD. The actors will I’m sure go on to even more success in their careers, which we will happily follow. Most importantly, our friendships are strong and will remain strong.

Peace and hugs to you all. And remember, my inbox is always open.

\-------------------------

plainjanebrain: **Fantasy Season 10 Signups**

I’m organizing a fan-written season 10 of WizKids. The link in the header will take you to a full explanation of how it will work, plus a page for writers and fan artists to sign up to participate. We will be getting together to create a season of between 10 and 22 episodes (depending on how many writers sign up and the storyarc planning process) that will resolve all cliffhangers and loose ends left on the show.

This is the power of fandom. We can write our own happy ending. Who’s with me?

fuzzyluckins: Is this going to be a Peachfuzzle endgame or can I hold out any hope for Luckfuzzle?

cuttingroomwall: Fandom in a nutshell, ladies and gentlemen.

\-------------------------

grandmafuzzle sent: Ugh, I’m so sad. Everything is so sad. I don’t want things to end.

plainjanebrain answered (private): Thank you for being so positive in public. Someone has to.

grandmafuzzle sent: You and me against the chaos, my friend.

plainjanebrain answered (private): I’ve got your back, always.

grandmafuzzle sent: Same.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: There's lots of discussion of death in this chapter, including some discussion of suicidal thoughts.

There’s not much to do while you’re waiting for someone to die. 

Hours dragged on, day and night and day again. Cash spent most of his time sleeping. Mo had a lot of classical music on her iPod, which they managed to hook up to play through the speakers of the TV in the hospice room. The soft instrumentals seemed to make Cash’s sleep less restless. The rest of them appreciated the soothing background noise, as opposed to the dreadful silence interrupted by the whirs and beeps of the machines attached to their dying friend.

On the second day, with little else to do, Mo took out her phone and started to scroll her dash full of fandom blogs. She glanced up to make sure Cash was asleep before turning to Topher beside her on the blue vinyl couch. “Everyone’s predictably freaking out about the show ending.”

This was just barely enough to pull Topher out of his catatonic staring at Cash. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Mo. His eyes had dark circles under them. It was clear he hadn’t slept at all the previous night. 

“Don’t tell them anything, Mo.”

She shook her head. “Of course not. We agreed, back on day one of the trip. Not a word to the fandom until the whole thing is over.”

“‘Over’ has a much different meaning now.”

“Toph …” Mo began, but then realized she had nothing to follow it with.

Topher turned back to his unending stare at Cash.

“I’m just gonna read the blogs,” Mo said, gesturing to her phone. “I feel like … I feel like I need to read it all. It’s so bizarre. Like a window to a different world.”

“How different is it?” Topher asked, without taking his eyes off Cash. “We spent years in that world, and we’ve only been outside it for a week.”

“It feels like a million years ago,” Mo mused. “It feels like looking at photos of my tenth birthday party and remembering how excited I was to be ‘double digits.’ I know that was me, but it’s a me that I hardly recognize now.”

“Yeah,” Topher said, but his voice was miles away and his eyes didn’t seem to be seeing the room he was in.

Mo took a sip of the lukewarm coffee she’d picked up in the cafeteria an hour earlier, and retreated into the scroll through her phone.

Sam and Joey returned a short while later. 

“How was the shopping mall?” Mo asked them.

“Boring,” Joey said. The couch was only big enough for two, so he leaned up against the windowsill. The shade was drawn; the July sun in Phoenix was too much even to let indoors, let alone to take a walk in fresh air like he’d really wanted to do. “You guys should go take a look at it anyway. It’s good to clear your head.”

“I’ll go,” Mo said, standing up. “I need a break. I’ve been reading through the fandom reactions and it’s making me feel all off balance.”

Sam took a seat on the couch in Mo’s place. “I’m staying away from fandom for now. I don’t think I can deal with it.”

“Same,” Joey chimed in.

Topher let out a deep, troubled sigh.

Mo tugged on his arm, urging him to stand. “Come on, Toph. Let’s take a breather.”

“No, thanks. I’ll stay here.”

Mo and Sam exchanged troubled glances.

“I really think it would be good for you to get out a bit,” Mo said.

“Maybe later. It’s only a couple more hours until dinner. I’d rather stay a bit longer.”

“All right,” Mo relented, clearly reluctant to leave Topher there. “I don’t want to wander around a mall by myself, though.”

“I’ll go with you,” Joey volunteered. “I was just there, but whatever.”

Sam and Topher sat in silence for a little while after the others left. The soft tones of Beethoven filled the room. 

“I’m worried about you, Toph,” Sam said after she couldn’t bear it anymore.

“Don’t worry about me,” Topher said without looking at his friend. “Worry about Cash.”

Sam let the silence fall around them again until Joey and Mo returned in the early evening.

“Have you ever seen someone die?” Topher asked, his eyes still glued to Cash.

Everyone turned to Cash in alarm, but his chest still moved up and down with shallow breaths as he slept. The heartbeat monitor carried on in a normal rhythm. 

“My dad’s church usually does open casket funerals,” Joey said. “I’ve seen lots of dead bodies. My grandpa died at his house, too, of a heart attack. I saw his body before it was taken away and prepared for the funeral.”

“I don’t mean a dead body,” Topher said. “I mean seeing them actually die. That moment of death.”

“Oh. Then I guess no.” Joey’s voice sounded troubled as he pondered the morbid question.

“My Mom died during surgery. No one was there except the doctors. I never saw her again at all. She was cremated.” Mo’s voice trailed off.

“I’ve imagined killing myself. That kind of feels like seeing someone die.”

All heads turned to Sam. 

His face turned red. “I mean, I wouldn’t actually do it.”

Joey, who was standing right next to Sam, gently took his hand. “Have you talked to a therapist?”

Sam shook his head. “No money. But I’m okay, I swear. Don’t worry about me. I’m not going to kill myself.”

“Don’t you dare kill yourself.” Cash somehow made his feeble voice sound commanding. Everyone in the room jumped. They’d thought he was asleep. Maybe he’d woken up just in time for Sam’s comment, but there was no way of knowing how much of their conversation he’d heard.

“I won’t!” Sam insisted. “I told you, I’m not suicidal.”

“Listen to me, Sam,” Cash said. He made a move as if to sit up, then remembered that was impossible. “I went out of my way,  _ while dying _ , to help you out with a whole crapload of stuff. Don’t you dare give that up. Promise me.”

“Okay! God! Totally unnecessary, but I promise.” Sam closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the attention to his most private thoughts.

“Now get out of here, all of you, until you can be cheerful. Nobody the fuck wants to hear all this moping around. Go have dinner and come back in a better mood.”

Topher nodded in agreement. “The others can go. I’ll stay.”

“Get lost, Topher, and send in that hot nurse to give me a sponge bath.”

“But …”

“I’ll see you after dinner.” Cash grinned up at him, his too-thin face pretending as if there wasn’t a care in the world.

The medical center’s cafeteria was too depressing to even consider as a dinner option, but nobody had the energy to look up local restaurant reviews, so they piled into the car and went to a Chili’s about a mile away. The smell of food made Topher remember that he was starving. He took a huge bite out of his hamburger the moment it arrived at the table.

“So, Topher,” Mo said, twirling a french fry between two fingers. “You haven’t checked the blogs at all?”

He shook his head. “I’m not ready.”

She bit her lip. “I need to warn you …”

“They’re all crazy. They’re saying bad things about Cash. I know. What else is new?”

“No, it’s not that. I mean, all that is true, but …” she hesitated.

Sam and Joey looked as confused as Topher felt. “What are you talking about, Mo?” Joey asked.

“They found you,” Mo said. “Just Topher, not the rest of us. Someone named … um ... ” she checked her phone briefly. “Fuzzyluckins. Anyone know him? No? Anyway, Fuzzyluckins recognized Topher in the St. Louis video, and then Huda stepped in it. No, no, she didn’t confirm, she only said just enough to fuel the speculation. It didn’t super blow up or anything, at least not in public. But it might be a thing. Here, see for yourself.” Mo handed her phone to Topher. His eyes widened in alarm as he read the brief exchange. He passed the phone to Sam, then Joey, so they could read it as well.

“How could she?” Sam fumed.

“She’s only fifteen, give her a break. She didn’t mean any harm, she just didn’t think through the potential consequences. Don’t you think you might have done the same thing, if you were in her position? Even at your wise old age of eighteen years?” Mo tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at Sam, who backed down immediately.

“I know Fuzzyluckins,” Topher said. “Well, I don’t know him, know him. We’ve never talked, I don’t think. But he follows my blog. I only have fifteen followers, so I know all their names by heart. You guys, Huda and Davi, and ten people who like the type of gifs and fic I reblog, I guess. I have no idea why anyone follows me who doesn’t know me already.”

“I clicked around a little,” Mo went on, “and it turns out Fuzzyluckins is kind of a big player in the Bumfuzzle/Luckuncle shipping world, and a little bit in the Cash Carter / Tobey Ramous RPF world as well, though it looks like he’s not under any delusion that they’re gay in real life. He just thinks they’re pretty together.”

“Then he probably follows you because he thinks you’re cute,” Sam said, nudging Topher in the side.

“Oh!” Joey lit up. “I think I’ve read one of his fics! Didn’t he write the one where those mind-control cat-like aliens tied up Dr. Bumfuzzle and forced Prof. Luckuncle to--” 

Mo cut him off before he could explain whatever X-rated kink he was remembering. “The point isn’t who he ships or what he wrote. The point is how many followers he was speaking to when he tagged Topher in that spec post. Toph, you may want to be careful when you check your inbox. God knows what’s in there by now. This was days and days ago, and you’ve been radio silence ever since.”

Mo knew far more about fandom dynamics than the rest of them. Sam and Joey followed more social justice and aesthetics blogs than fandom ones. Topher had his finger on the pulse of all the fic, art, gifs, and commentary produced by others in the fandom, but hardly ever shared his own opinion outside his small group of close friends. He paid very little attention to what different groups of fans were saying and how they interacted with each other. 

Mo, as a popular fandom writer, had over two thousand fellow fans following her blog, a number Topher and the others couldn’t even fathom. Her inbox lit up daily with questions about her fic and her opinions on the show, and she answered nearly all of them, sparking lively conversations on any Wiz Kids related topic under the sun. The questions weren’t always friendly, and sometimes her fic would rile feathers as well. Because of that, Mo had developed a sophisticated understanding of the intra-fandom fights and hidden agendas behind the anonymous messages that showed up in her inbox. It was a level of engagement with fandom that, frankly, terrified Topher. He just wanted to love his show and talk about it with other people who loved it as much as he did. 

Slowly, with trepidation, Topher pulled out his phone and tapped open the blogging app that he hadn’t touched in nearly two weeks. He drew in a sharp breath. “Uh … I don’t have fifteen followers anymore.”

Mo closed her eyes. “How many?”

“Nine hundred and seventy three,” Topher said in a hushed voice.

Mo’s head thunked back onto the cushioned booth. “Inbox?”

“Thirty-one.”

“Don’t answer them,” Mo said firmly.

“I’m deleting my blog.”

“No! Don’t do that!” In a flash, Mo leaned forward and grabbed the phone from him. “Just stay away until you’re ready. There’s no rush. They’ll still be there when you get back. Probably.”

Topher was practically hyperventilating. “Probably? That means there’s a chance they’ll go away, right? How do I get them to go away?”

“By not saying anything.” Mo clicked off the phone and slid it into her purse.

“You can’t just steal my phone!”

“I’ll give it back when you’ve calmed down. Listen to me. Wait. Don’t post anything before you’re absolutely, one hundred percent ready for the world to see it. Don’t post until you know for certain what you want to say.”

“I don’t want to post at all!”

“Then there’s no problem,” Mo said. She took a bite of her grilled chicken sandwich. 

“Fuck this fandom crap. We need to get back to Cash.” Topher angrily stood up from the booth.

“Topher,” Sam said in a pleading voice. “Eat your burger. Please. You need to take care of yourself.”

Standing beside the booth, Topher fumed silently. Emotions chased each other through his head, none of them holding on long enough to decide a course of action. “I’m going to the bathroom,” he finally said. “I just need a minute.”

Mo, Sam, and Joey watched in uncomfortable silence as Topher walked away.

“Why did it have to be him?” Joey sighed. “Why not one of us instead?”

Mo raised an eyebrow again. “Jealous of Topher’s newfound fame?”

Joey put up his hands in a ‘no thanks’ gesture. “A couple of weeks ago I might have been, but I’ll pass, thanks. No, I’m worried about him. This whole thing is so much harder on him than the rest of us.”

“He’s the one with the really deep connection to Cash,” Sam agreed. “All of us idolized Cash, and all of us love Wiz Kids, but for Topher it’s something much deeper. You know what I mean?”

Mo’s forehead wrinkled in consternation. “Fandom is my  _ life _ .”

“Fandom, yeah,” Joey said. “But you’re not a Cash Carter stan the way Topher is. Think about it. If Cash had left the show in, say, season 6, we all would have been mad. But I bet Topher would have been devastated. He would have stopped watching Wiz Kids and started watching whatever Cash was on next.”

“Topher loves Wiz Kids,” Mo insisted.

“Yes,” Joey said. “But he loves Cash Carter first.”

Sam nodded.

Mo chewed a french fry thoughtfully.

After a moment, Topher appeared at the table again and quietly slid into his seat. “I’m not going to look at or talk about fandom again until I’m back at home.”

“Fair enough,” Sam said. Mo and Joey nodded in agreement.

There was a baseball game on TV, and they all pretended to watch it while they finished their food. It was easier than talking.

Cash was watching the very same game when they returned. He greeted them with a big smile on his face, and it seemed genuine. “I had the nurse bring in some extra chairs! Come on, sit down, watch with me.”

Topher took the folding chair beside Cash’s bed. Sam sat next to him, and Mo and Joey angled themselves sideways on the couch so they could see the TV too.

“Back during Season 4, we put together a cast vs. crew softball league, did you know that?”

“Yes! I saw the pictures of that one game the paparazzi found! Were there more?”

“Oh yeah, we did it all season. Let me tell you about this one time, when Amy managed to hit herself in the head with her own bat …”

“Oh em gee!”

“She was fine, she had a batting helmet on. But you should have seen the commotion …”

Cash continued his behind-the-scenes tale, and Topher took a deep, cleansing breath as he listened. This was why he was here. To listen to this man talk about whatever he needed to talk about. To give him a way to be happy until he passed on. To be with someone so special to him in his final days. This would be okay. It had to be okay.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, and I'm assuming you've all read the book so this isn't a spoiler at this point. Cash Carter dies in this chapter, so prepare yourself if you need kleenex or something.

_ “What are we doing, Wizzers?????” _ Kylie Trig faced the camera with an over-the-top shocked expression that didn’t match the excited sparkle in her eyes. “I, for one, cannot  _ believe _ Wiz Kids is being  _ canceled! _ What are those asses at the network  _ thinking? _ Believe me, there’s got to be some bullshit behind this.

“But you know what? We can change it! You and me, fandom together -- here’s what we do.  _ A hunger strike! _ Right here, right now, I vow that I won’t eat even a crumb of food until the network bigwigs come to their senses and renew Wiz Kids. Who’s with me? Come on, it’ll be great! Make a statement and drop a few pounds at the same time!

“Now, Wizzers, don’t forget to stay hydrated. This hunger strike is being sponsored by ShakeLess, the complete nutrition solution delivered in a delicious smoothie! Hover over the video for a 20% off coupon!”

\-----------------------

gaytobeyramous: I’m in!

cloudsofgold: I can’t even count how many ways this hunger strike bullshit is offensive and problematic.

gaytobeyramous: oh. um, oops. I’m out.

plainjanebrain: nope nope nope nope nope

kylietrig-gerwarning: MARRY ME KYLIE!!!!!

\-----------------------

anonymous asked grandmafuzzle: What’s your opinion on Kylie Trig’s hunger strike to bring back Wiz kids?

grandmafuzzle answered (public): I stopped watching Kylie’s videos three years ago after that incident where she ambushed Amy Evans with intrusive questions in the locker room at PureBarre. I honestly don’t understand why people still reward her with attention. I wasn’t aware of the “hunger strike” until you asked me about it, but my advice is, don’t be ridiculous and don’t support Kylie Trig’s brand of disrespectful nonsense.

\-----------------------

plainjanebrain: Fantasy Season 10 signups are still open! Writers and artists can sign up at this link. We’ll start planning soon, so don’t miss your chance to get in on the ground floor!

draxie: Sign up, everyone! I’m going to be participating and I can’t wait! The more the merrier!

wizzer4life: Why isn’t @momomia on the list of writers? When is she getting back from vacation? I’d be so bummed if she doesn’t get a chance to join.

\-----------------------

Mo glanced furtively up from her phone. Cash was breathing shallowly in his bed, eyes closed. He hadn’t been awake in almost twenty-four hours. Topher dozed on the couch. Joey and Sam were out picking up breakfast before taking over the morning shift. Nobody would notice if she broke her quiet scrolling and typed something.

She missed writing. Her fanfic work-in-progress had languished in the two weeks she’d been on this trip. Meeting Cash had been a major distraction from the stories that usually played out in her mind in quiet hours. She’d been pondering, now and then in the too-silent hospice room, whether it would be weird to write fic about Dr. Bumfuzzle after getting to know Cash Carter as a person. Honestly, she didn’t think it would be. Cash had almost nothing in common with the character he played. Cash and Dr. Bumfuzzle were two completely different people in her head, to the point where she had a hard time even remembering that they shared the same physical body. Cash had looked nothing like Dr. Bumfuzzle from the moment he showed up on the first day of the road trip. He looked even less like him now.

Jane and GrandmaFuzzle were right. Fandom would go on, even though the show didn’t. Fandom would go on even though Cash Carter wouldn’t. And Mo wanted to continue being part of fandom.

She clicked the link to plainjanebrain’s google form and signed up as a Fantasy Season 10 writer.

\-----------------------

“It won’t be long now,” Dr. Medina-Sedillo said, folding up her stethoscope after doing her afternoon examination of Cash. “He’s unlikely to wake up again at all, if he slept through my visit. Do any of you need anything? Should I send in one of our staff clergy?”

Joey shook his head. “He’s not religious. None of us are, not really.”

“As you prefer,” the doctor said with a sympathetic smile. “If you change your mind, the nurse on call can get someone for you at any time.”

“Thank you,” Sam said. He closed the door quietly behind the doctor.

Everyone looked shellshocked, completely at a loss for what to do. There was no discussion of taking shifts again. They all wanted to be there for Cash, if he could pass on at any moment.

“Joey?” Sam said softly. “Could  _ you  _ lead us in prayer?”

Joey demurred. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said no to the minister. I could go have the nurse bring him in if you want … But do any of you guys even believe in God?”

“No, I don’t want a minister,” Sam said. “Organized religion is weird. I always wonder whether ministers are silently judging me. It just feels like we need  _ something _ , though. And you … I guess you have the most experience with this kind of thing. I think it might help. If you don’t want to, I mean, that’s okay …”

Joey waited for Topher’s nod before agreeing. He took a deep breath and tried to figure out what could possibly be appropriate for the situation.

“Let’s all join hands,” he said. It was a decent enough way to stall for time. They arranged themselves in a circle around Cash’s bed, with Joey holding Cash’s right hand, then Sam on Joey’s other side, Mo, and finally Topher on the opposite side of the bed holding Cash’s left hand. His pulse beat softly through unmoving fingers.

Joey’s father for the most part gave terrible advice, especially where religion and morals were concerned. But Joey remembered one tidbit of wisdom from him that struck home at this moment: When in doubt, say thank you.

“Heavenly father,” Joey began in an uncertain voice, bowing his head, “you have blessed Cash’s life in so many ways. Thank you for all these gifts. Fame, fortune, things that everyone dreams of, you have given them all to Cash in abundance. Though his life is destined to be short, it’s one that will be remembered by all the people he touched. Thank you for giving him the opportunity to reach so many people and bring joy into their lives.”

It felt good to focus his thoughts in this way, to speak to a higher power without his church’s restrictive ideas attached. His voice grew stronger as he found his stride. “Thank you, also, for bringing the four of us here at this time, and for bringing Cash to us these past two weeks. These new experiences have opened our eyes to so many things, so many different ways of living in your glorious world. Thank you for guiding us to experience those things, and thank you for gathering us together here for the comfort and community all of us need in these final days of Cash’s life.”

He paused a moment, pushing down the lump in his throat as the reality of Cash’s impending death caught up with him. Finally, he managed to conclude. “Guide all of us, Lord, but especially Cash, to peace and comfort. Amen.”

“Amen,” came a murmured chorus from Sam, Topher, and Mo.

“That was beautiful, Joey. Thank you.” Sam let his hands drop from the circle that joined them all, and the others followed suit.

“Do you really think God led us to break into a chained-off amusement park and smoke pot?” Mo asked, unable to suppress a giggle.

“And destroy a roadside tourist attraction?” Topher chimed in.

“And get fake ID’s to sneak into a club?” Sam added, lips twitching in amusement.

Suddenly, all four of them burst into rollicking laughter that somehow seemed to enhance, rather than break, the importance of the moment.

“This is exactly how Cash would want to pass on,” Topher said, his eyes glowing with life for the first time in many days. “Surrounded by a rag-tag crew of teenagers who care about him far more than they have any business doing, and laughing at the ridiculousness of the world.”

And so he did. By the time they looked at him again, Cash had already taken his final breath.

\-----------------------

Trending: #RIPTomHanks

Trending: World Mourns Beloved Superstar Tom Hanks, Dead at Age 60

Trending: Tom Hanks Not Dead, Publicist Says

@tomhanks tweeted: Always a pleasure to read my own eulogy. Thanks for the love, folks!

\-----------------------

**Actor Cash Carter Dead at 22**

by Terrence Wallem, The Hollywood Reporter

Cash Carter, internationally known for his role as Dr. Bumfuzzle on Wiz Kids, passed away yesterday after a brief but courageous battle with brain cancer.

“Cash lived life to the fullest and treasured every moment,” a statement from his publicist reads. “Please respect his family’s privacy at this difficult time.”

All of us at THR send our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and fans around the world who are mourning his death.

\-------------------------

wizzer4life: WHAT

unluckcle: two celebrity death hoaxes in one day?

fuzzyluckins: …

carterstan: guys … uh … remember how Cash Carter is a stage name? I don’t want to say this is how Tom Hanks started trending, but …

unluckle: no … @carterstan omg no ...

cloudsofgold: someone please tell me what is happening

rubytwoshoes: Please no. Please no.

grandmafuzzle: I didn’t want to say anything and fuel the rumors before it was confirmed, but it’s on all the networks and People Magazine now. Here’s a link to the full press release from Cash’s publicist. It’s true. I can’t believe it, but it’s true. #RIPCash

wizzer4life: (flickering candle gif) RIP Cash #RIPCash

rubytwoshoes: I don’t know what to say. I’m so sad. What do we do now?

grandmafuzzle: ~~hugs~~ to @rubytwoshoes and to everyone today, especially to Cash’s family. I can’t imagine what they must be going through.

takeawizz: He had it coming. You all know you’re thinking it. Brain cancer? What a load of shit. He overdosed, you heard it here first.

unluckle: @takeawizz have some respect for the dead for like five minutes, come on.

wizzerinoz: (collage of screenshots of Dr. Bumfuzzle) #RIPCash

plainjanebrain: I’m devastated. I thought things were bad last week when the show was canceled, but this is just … unfathomable. I never saw this coming.

plainjanebrain: We’re going to get through this together. I should have said that. We’ll get through this, fandom. If you need to talk to someone privately, my inbox is open and I’ll answer every signed message and as many anons as I can. I’m sure @grandmafuzzle and many others are willing to talk privately as well.

grandmafuzzle: Of course, I’m always willing to help anyone who comes to me, especially now. Even if we’ve never talked before, don’t be afraid. This is what fandom is for.  Helping each other. #RIPCash

cuttingroomwall: (hand-painted portrait of Cash Carter) I was saving this to post on his birthday, but now seems like the appropriate time. We’ll miss you, Cash. #RIPCash

wizzer4life: (gifset – top 10 photos of Cash Carter’s ass in motion)

wizzer4life: Oh my god, I’m so sorry. That came out of my queue. I’m deleting it and turning off my queue for the foreseeable future.

\-------------------------

The interstate seemed more endless than ever before as they barreled toward home. Topher was glad to hear his phone ring, if only to break up the unending silent monologue about death that was playing in his mind. He took a deep breath to help his brain shift gears for the conversation.

“Hi, Mom,” he said into the phone.

“Topher! You’re not driving, are you?”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course not, Mom. I would never answer the phone while driving. Mo’s taking a turn at the wheel right now.”

“Okay, well, tell her to pull over at the next opportunity, because I’m definitely not going to deliver this news with any of you driving down the freeway.”

Topher’s eyes widened. What was wrong? Had something happened to Billy? Or his dad? Fortunately there was an exit coming up, and Mo pulled into a gas station right beside the off-ramp.

“Okay, Mom. We’re stopped. What is it?”

“Okay. Are you all sitting down?”

All this delay was becoming incredibly aggravating to Topher. “Mother, we’re still in the car. What is it?”

His mother spoke in a hushed, serious voice. "Cash Carter died. I just saw it on the news. I know how much he means to you and your friends, so I didn't want you to read about it somewhere and not be prepared. It's kind of everywhere right now."

Topher closed his eyes and opened them again. "Thanks, Mom. But we actually knew already."

"Oh, shoot. I'm sorry. That fandom of yours really is efficient."

He was in no mood to tell her the real story, so he made a noise of agreement.

"Are you guys okay? I'm sure it must be devastating. I remember when Kurt Cobain died when I was a teenager, I cried for days."

"Yeah, we're okay. It's sad, but we're okay." Was this true? Topher wasn't quite sure.

"Okay, well, drive safely," his mom told him. "Take all the time you need. Don't try to push it and drive farther than you feel you can in one day."

"We're fine, mom. With four of us taking turns, we're completely fine."

"Okay, honey, if you're sure. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom." Topher ended the call.

"She wanted to let us know that Cash Carter died," Topher informed his friends.

The absurdity of the situation made it seem impossible to stay cooped up in that car any longer.

"There's an Arby's right over there," Sam said, pointing across the street. "How about some curly fries and a break?"

"As long as they have wifi," Mo said. "Time to check out that crow buffet Cash was looking forward to."

"In his blessed memory," Joey intoned solemnly. "Curly fries and internet."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took so long! Some real life stuff came up and I had less writing time than I'd hoped. That's the hazard of posting as I go. Thanks for sticking with me. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up the pace again now that things have calmed down.

Kylie Trig’s face appeared in extreme close-up on the tiny screen of Mo’s phone. Her mascara was running, but it seemed almost intentionally smeared.

“Wow,” she said with a shaky sigh. Her voice was more subdued than usual, but her eyes still sparkled with energy. “Wizzers, this is definitely not the video I thought I’d be making today. None of us saw this coming. We knew something was up, for sure. But … Well, I guess I should back up a step, in case anyone hasn’t seen the news. Cash Carter ... “ she paused, holding her breath for dramatic effect before finishing the sentence “... is dead. He passed away last night, but it wasn’t announced until this morning. Brain cancer, the press release said.”

Kylie pushed her chair back from the desk, revealing to the camera that she was dressed all in black for mourning. Her sequins-bedecked dress looked more suitable for a night out at a club than for a funeral, though.

“I can’t even wrap my brain around it.” Her eyes widened. “That’s not insensitive, is it? Since he died of brain cancer? I hope not. Gosh, Wizzers, I’m just in shock. How are you guys feeling? Leave a message in the comments and let me know. I’ll read the best ones on camera in my next video, along with all the before-and-after hunger strike pictures you’ve all been sending in! Yes, that’s right, the hunger strike is still on!”

“Turn it off,” Joey grumbled.

“She has no fucking clue,” Sam said.

Mo clicked her phone off and set it down on the table. “I don’t think I like her anymore.”

Topher sighed heavily. “Everything’s different now. I mean, _everything_. It’s all different.”

Sam patted his hand tentatively, trying to be reassuring.

Joey wadded up his sandwich wrapper and tossed it onto his tray. “Maybe you had the right idea when you said you wanted to delete your account, Toph.”

Topher looked down at his hands. “I don’t know. I still can’t think about fandom. I’m not ready.”

“Do you want me to go through your inbox for you?” Mo asked.

“What?” Topher looked up at her, confused.

“You’ve got a million messages and a limited amount of cope. I’ll delete everything you don’t want to see and leave you with whatever’s friendly.”

Topher’s forehead wrinkled with confusion. “But what about you? I’m sure you don’t want to deal with all that stuff either.”

Mo shook her head. “I’m feeling okay, actually. I’ve been reading the blogs the past few days, and it’s weird but it’s not upsetting me. You’ll get there. I know fandom is really important to you. You don’t want to leave it behind.”

He looked at her for a long minute. How could she brush off Cash’s death so easily? Hadn’t their time together meant anything to her? No, that was unfair. He knew it had meant a lot to her. But somehow she was still managing to participate in fandom with eagerness while he felt only reluctance to engage. Maybe the full effect of it would hit her later. He’d heard about that happening sometimes.

“I guess so,” he finally agreed. “Yeah … that would be helpful, if I didn’t have a bunch of random messages waiting for me when I decide to go back online.”

“Give me your phone,” Mo said, and Topher handed it over.

\------------------------

Mo stood up and walked out of the restaurant with Topher’s phone. She couldn’t have them staring at her awkwardly while she did this. There would be too much temptation to read the most absurd messages aloud, and that was the opposite of the point. Settling herself on a bench in the shade, she tapped open Topher’s blogging app and then clicked the inbox. She scrolled to the bottom so she could read the nearly four dozen messages in chronological order.

 **fuzzyluckins:** hey man omg is that you in the video with Cash Carter?????

 **fuzzyluckins:** sorry I know we don’t talk much but I’ve followed you forever and I’m dying of curiosity!

 **fuzzyluckins:** if you did get to meet him that’s so cool! congrats! i hope i get to someday!

Topher had said he recognized fuzzyluckins as one of his long-time followers, so Mo left these alone. There was a stab of pain at the desire to meet Cash someday, said before his death but read afterwards, but she didn’t want to erase the good along with the bad.

 **luckfucksfuzz:** ARE YOU DANCING WITH CASH CARTER THAT’S SO AMAZING

 **celebrititty:** Did you sleep with cash carter? Does he have a big dick?

 **anonymous:** WHY DID YOU DRUG CASH CARTER AND THEN KIDNAP HIM FROM THAT CLUB NOT COOL MAN

Delete. Delete. Block.

 **reptoidianlove:** Say hi to Cash for me!!! omg wow I wish I were in your shoes!!!

 **anonymous:** whats it like to get high with cash carter?

 **anonymous:** You owe it to fandom to tell us what’s happening. Stop hiding! We’re all dying to know what’s going on, and you obviously know, so tell us.

Delete. Delete. Delete.

Messages like these were nothing new to Mo. People wanting stuff from her -- the next chapter of her fic, her opinion on the dress Amy wore on the latest red carpet, her thoughts about whether the next season of Wiz Kids would introduce a new species of aliens -- anything under the sun, there was someone out there who thought they could demand it from her. She’d learned to ignore some and answer others, without feeling bad about it.

She’d never had any private information about actors or the show before, but she’d seen how fandom treats people who do. One time her beta reader, paradelphia, had run into the actors filming a scene on location while she’d been on a spring break trip to Los Angeles. She’d posted a couple of behind-the-scenes photos online, only to be overwhelmed by the avalanche of questions the rest of fandom wanted her to answer.

Mo paused her deleting spree and lingered over an unexpected message from plainjanebrain. Of course she knew who Jane was. Everyone knew who Jane was. Love her or hate her, she was a big name in the Wiz Kids fandom, as well as in Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, and a whole list of other fandoms dating back at least two decades. Jane was older than the normal mob of teenage Wiz Kids fans, and always seemed unperturbed by the earthquakes that rumbled through the rest of the fandom. Mo found her wry attitude a bit off-putting sometimes, but had to respect the way she always seemed to know what was what. Jane always meticulously respected the privacy of the actors and implored others in the fandom to do so as well, which made her one of the last people Mo would have expected to turn up in Topher’s inbox.

 **plainjanebrain:** It looks like you had quite an experience in St. Louis! Don’t let the fandom get to you, I know they’re even more crazy than usual right now. Treasure your moment, and remember that it’s _yours_ , not anyone else’s. If you need to talk and don’t have anyone you trust, you’re welcome to talk to me. Cheers!

Mo read the message four times over. It was orders of magnitude nicer and more understanding than anything else in Topher’s inbox. Even after several minutes of thinking about it, she couldn’t figure out why Jane had decided to send it. She opted to leave it there for the time being and continued her scroll through the messages.

Fandom’s attention drifts off quickly. The date stamps revealed a flood of messages when the video was first posted, then a pause for a few days when Topher stayed silent and people moved on. A new round of messages came in after the announcement that Wiz Kids was canceled, most of them anonymous but a few matching the names of people who had written in the first round. Mo deleted them all. The show’s cancellation was old news by this point, so there was no reason to answer them.

In the half a day since Cash’s death had been announced, there were only a handful of messages. All were anonymous. Two angry threats. One worried about Topher’s disappearance from the internet. Several were simply asking for the story.

 **anonymous:** wat happend with you and cash carter hes dead now you dont have to hide it

 **anonymous:** Do you know what they’re not telling us about Cash’s death? There has to be more to it. Who even gets brain cancer?

 **anonymous:** I’m so sad about Cash. Everyone thought he was drunk in that club, but was he really sick? Can you tell us? I need to know, his death hit me so hard and I just really really need to know.

 **anonymous:** You were probably the last fandom person to see Cash Carter alive. All of us are devastated. I guess you are too, maybe even more than the rest of us. Is there anything you can tell us about him while we’re all mourning his death?

Mo took a deep breath and deleted all except the very last one of these. If Topher chose to talk about Cash’s death publicly, answering that message would be the gentlest way to do it. There were no accusations in it, no hidden agendas, no neediness. And even though the sender was cloaked in anonymity, she thought she had an idea of who might have sent it.

\-----------------------

Joey watched Topher fidget with the extra ketchup packets on his tray, trying not to stare at Mo through the window of the restaurant.

“What’s she doing out there? Why is it taking so long?” Topher asked for the fifth time.

“Because fandom is a scary place full of weird people who like arguing about pointless stuff,” Joey said, answering the rhetorical question.

Topher’s eyes widened as if Joey had said something shocking instead of mundane. He stared at Joey wide-eyed. “But you’re _in_ fandom! You love fandom! Why are you talking shit about it?”

Joey blinked in surprise. “That’s not talking shit. It’s just plain and simple truth. I love Wiz Kids, but man, fandom is weird. Honestly? I’ve never followed that many fandom blogs. I follow the three of you guys, and Huda and Davi, and fyeahwizkids for news and photos. You guys reblog so much I don’t need any more than that. The rest just seems like a lot of drama.”

Topher’s jaw dropped. “Then how come you spend so much time on the blogs? What are you doing there?”

Joey felt his cheeks burning. This was an unexpected and quite unwelcome turn in the conversation “Uh …” he stammered.

“Oh my god,” Sam snickered. “You’re following a bunch of porn blogs, aren’t you?”

“Shut up.”

“It’s okay,” Sam reassured him. “I follow nakedtranspeopleproject.”

Joey appreciated Sam trying to help, but those artsy-political black and white photos of all different types of bodies was _not_ the same as the type of gifs that appeared on his following feed, and everyone knew it.

“ _What is happening here?_ ” Topher practically shrieked. “I thought we were all in fandom together! Aren’t we fandom people? Isn’t this our thing?”

Joey sighed. “You know that post that’s floating around, it has practically a million notes on it? ‘How to have a fandom without wank. Like a thing. Find three friends who also like the thing. Talk about it with each other. Don’t tell anyone else, ever.’ That’s my mantra. You guys are my three friends. I like the thing. I avoid the drama.”

“How would you even know what posts float around the blogs?” Topher grumbled. “Since you’ve just told us you’re not even on the fandom blogs.”

“Sorry, man … I didn’t think it was a big deal. Who cares how many blogs I follow?”

Topher turned to Sam accusingly. “What about you? Are you secretly not a member of fandom either?”

Sam shrugged. “I follow a few more fandom blogs than Joey does, but half my dash is LGBTQQIP2SAA stuff.”

“Did you really just say that whole acronym out loud? How do you even remember all those letters?” Topher let out an exasperated breath.

“Whoa now …” Sam bristled.

“Sorry. Sorry.” Topher took a deep breath and tried to control himself. “I know it’s important to you. But fandom is important to me! And I thought you guys were part of it. It’s weird that you’re not.”

“We are,” Joey said. “We’re in fandom, just in different ways.”

Topher just shook his head sadly. Joey didn’t know what to say to convince him.

Sam was the first one to notice Mo returning to their table. “Oh thank goodness you’re back!”

“I wasn’t gone _that_ long,” Mo said with a laugh, oblivious to the tension that had built up in her absence. She handed the phone back to Topher. “Ready to get back on the road?”

“I cannot get home fast enough,” Topher said. He shoved his phone into his back pocket without looking at it and stormed off to the trash bin with his tray.

“What’s gotten into him?” Mo asked.

“Fandom is weird,” Joey answered.

“Like this is something we didn’t know?” Mo joked.

Sam sighed. “I think maybe Topher didn’t.”


End file.
